Vehicle-dash



(NO'MOdeL) J. M. PERKINS.

VEHICLE DASH.

No. 337,990. Patented Mar 16. 1886.

ENITEDV STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHh M. PERKINS, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

VEHICLE-DASH.

$PECIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,990, dated MarchlG, 1886.

Application filed Octoberli, 1885. Serial No. 179,893. (No model.)

To all whom it away concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN M. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State ofIndiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements inVehicle-Dashes; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull,clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the manufacture of curved sleigh-dashes andsimilar curved forms of laminated wood. The usual method of forming acurved dash of laminae of wood is to cement the thin sheets of woodtogether,with the grain of each sheet crossing that of the contiguoussheet, the grain of the outer sheets running vertically,and then topress this product in a form or templet. This method is expensive, asthe templets are costly and difficult to make. Only a few dashes can bepressed in one templet at one time, and when so pressed and dried arevery rigid, so much so that they are framed with difficulty unless theyare pressed to the same curve of the frame to which they are to beattached; also, when thus formed they are bulky to ship, and quiteliable to be broken.

My method consists in taking an outside sheet of dry veener, the grainof the wood running vertically, uniting it with one or more insidesheets of damp and preferably thicker veneer, laid horizontally orcrosswise, by a suitable glue or cement, and pressing the sheets flat orsubstantially flat, so that during the process of drying the shrinkingof the inside sheet or sheets will naturally cause the product to assumeacurved form,and this ourvature inwardly is dueto the thicker andconsequently stronger inside sheet. By this method the product can beshipped in a fiat form and curved afterward to the desired shape by thepurchaser. The same result may be accomplished by taking the sheetswhile damp, immediately after pressure, and by some simple means holdingthem about the desired curve until dry, or placing them in the desiredlocation in aframe,where they will be held until the drying andshrinkage are accomplished, and then maintained in the final curvedshape, hard and rigid, and at the same time elastic, as if so formed bythe templet method.

My invention is illustrated in the accompa' nying drawings, in whichFigures 1, 2, and 3 are different views of a curved dash or similarcurved article made by my method, but of differently-arranged sheets ofveneer.

In Fig.1, a represents the dry outside sheet of veneer, its grainrunning in a vertical direction; b, an inner sheet laid crosswise; c, avertical sheet, and D a cross-sheet, or two sheets like D can be used.In this combination a, b, and c are united by an elastic cement and Dwith a quick-setting and non-elastic cement.

By elastic cement I mean a glue which is prevented from immediatelydrying by the employment of some retarding agent-such as chloride ofcalcium or its equivalent. This does not injure the tenacity or strengthof animal glue or any marine cement, and when used in the rightproportions may render the cement elastic for a longer or shorter time,as may be desired.

When two sheets (like D in Fig. 1) are used, they may be made as damp aspossible,in which case elastic glue need not be used to unite them, aswhen a quite damp inner sheet of veneer is employed the dampness willanswer the same purpose of admitting the curvature by shrinkage as theelastic glue.

Vhen I desire to curve the fabric as soon as or very soon after beingpressed before the cement gets hard, I make up the compound with commonglue or hard cement of any kind,and then curve to the desired shape todry.

Fig. 2 shows a combination of three thicknesses of veneer, a the dryvertical sheet, and D D the cross-laid sheets. In making the article inthis shape it is not necessary that the cement should be made veryelastic, and not elastic at all, if the curve is desired to be madebefore the glue gets hard. When drying, the inner sheets, such as D,will shrink and contract, drawing the outside sheet, a, into acorresponding curvature.

Fig. 3 is another modification with only two veneers, a and D, theformer, a, as in all cases where the best results are to be obtained,being dry and running vertically,and the lat ter, the inner sheet,placed crosswise. Where two or more inner sheets are employed, theyneednot be thicker, as two or more sheets of the same thickness answer thesame purpose as a single thick sheet.

Sometimes I incorporate with the veneer fibrous or textile material,particularly when a thin dash is required. A very good article, forinstance, may be made with all the veneers laid crosswise, providingthere is an intermediate layer of paper or cloth between the inside andoutside layers of veneer to hold the fabric from splitting. Made in thismanner it will curve easily, and with a very short or small circle orsegment.

' What I claim is- 1. The method of making curved dashes and othercurved forms of laminated wood, consisting of uniting by means of asuitable cemr cut an outer sheet of dry veneer with an inner sheet ofveneer less dry, and then pressing the sheets together flat,whereby whenthe inner sheet or sheets shrink the fabric will be drawn into a curvedform, substantially as described...

2. A form in Wood composed of sheets of laminated wood, the outer sheetdry and the tie glue, substantially as described.

inner sheet or sheets damper than the outer sheet, in combination with asuitable cement for uniting the sheets, substantially as described. v I3o 3. An article composed of sheets of laminated wood, the outside sheetbeing dry and having its grain running in avertical direction, and theinner sheet or sheets being damper and thicker and running'crosswise ofthe 35 outer sheet, incombination with an elastic glue, substantially asdescribed.

4. 'A curved form composed of sheets of laminated wood, in combinationwith an clas- 5. A form in wood composed of two or more sheets ofveneer, one outer sheet being drier than the others and having the grainrunning vertically, in combination with intermediate layers ot fibrousmaterial, substantially as de- 5 scribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. PERKINS. Witnesses:

J. L. TAYLOR, Gno. MJWITWER.

